“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” II Corinthians 5:8
Richard W. Johnson, 79, of Hampton, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 31, 2017, at his residence. Richard was born in Harlan, Ky., on March 18, 1937, to the late Charles Cecil Johnson and Virginia Repass Johnson. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Loretta Sills and Terri Mitchell.
Richard married his wife, Joann Ball Johnson, on February 4, 1961 in Washington, DC. He retired in February 2003 after 40 years of service in the sprinkler and pipefitter industry in Washington, DC. Richard was a United States Air Force veteran and a member of Little Doe Freewill Baptist Church. He enjoyed fishing, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and his dogs.
Those left to cherish his memory include his wife of 55 years, Joann Ball Johnson, of the home; two children, Gene W. Johnson and wife Tina, of Martinsburg, W.Va., and Beverly Donlon and husband Michael, of Fairfield, Pa.; nine grandchildren, Ashley Riffle and Emily Riffle, Travis Johnson and Graham Johnson, Josh Phelps and wife Jamie, Heather Grandstaff, Melissa Miller and husband Wes, Patrick Donlon and Andrew Donlon; two great-grandchildren; one brother, Charles Johnson, of North Tazewell, Va.; two sisters, Linda Munn and husband Curt, of Silver Springs, Fla., and Carol Byers and husband Roger, of Daytona Beach, Fla.; and his mother-in-law, Eileen Ball (Granny), of the home. Several nieces and nephews, whom he loved dearly, also survive.
A celebration of life service for Richard W. Johnson will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 4, at Little Doe Freewill Baptist Church with Pastor Shane Waters and Pastor Kenneth Gillespie officiating. A private disposition will be conducted at a later time. Those who prefer memorials in lieu of flowers may make donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 2335 Knob Creek Road, #101, Johnson City, TN 37604; or to the Shriners Hospital for Children, 950 West Faris Road, Greenville, SC 29605. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.tetrickfuneralhome.com and signing the tribute wall.
Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, is serving the Johnson family. Office: (423) 542-2232. Obituary Line: (423) 543-4917.